Riford to be master of ceremonies at banquet

Tom Riford, president and CEO of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be master of ceremonies for Thursday's annual Maryland Tourism Council awards banquet.

The awards salute marketing excellence and professional achievements, including the naming of the Tourism Person of the Year. Winners of the Maryland Tourism Awards will be announced by Gov. Martin O'Malley.

The banquet is part of the 2009 Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit, which is scheduled for Wednesday to Friday at the Hilton Suites Oceanfront and Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, Md.

O'Malley is scheduled to address a luncheon session Thursday at the summit. Other speakers include Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group Inc., an economic and policy consulting firm in Baltimore; Peter Shankman, CEO of the Geek Factory; Bruce Turkel, author of "Building Brand Value"; and Dan Rodricks, host of Midday on WYPR radio and a (Baltimore) Sun columnist.